Sharing a Paopu - Third Edition
by Sanchay
Summary: Sora, Kairi, and Riku are flung into an unexpected adventure when they meet Hiromi, a girl claiming to remember their first adventure despite never having met them. While mainly a pure adventure story, it is also meant to be silly when it's able. SoraxKairi is evident from the get-go, but romance is not a focus here.
1. Forword - A Little About the Author

**_~*Foreword~_**

This story has had almost seven years of being broken, eviscerated, and psychologically abused, but I've used this tale as a creative writing tool of which I have grown extremely fond. With all the new Kingdom Hearts games coming out, I keep having to revise most of the facts, but for easy reference, consider all games after Kingdom Hearts II only slightly relevant. While I may mention some technical references as new information regarding the nature of hearts and such is revealed, I will not take canon story directly from any of the games past 358/2 Days for simplicity's sake. Also to note, I took the creative liberty of creating my own mentality on how hearts work in certain situations, such as unconsciously storing one's heart in a capable container, as well as one's Heartless embodying one's personality rather than their appearance, which technically is what it's supposed to be anyway. There's been a lot of focus on the fact that Sora's Nobody is the only one that looks different than he does, on top of the fact that he was still able to function as a normal person while Roxas was busy doing his own thing. (At the time of writing this, I'm still working on beating DDD so I have no idea how it all ends aside from a vague Wiki answer. I'll get around to it, but there's no need to rush even for the purpose of this story)

While the original character in this fan fiction was originally a self-insert to a certain extent, and even the current version of her echoes my own personality quite heavily, I consider her to be closer to a sister or a close friend than a Mary Sue at this point. Yes, there is a difference. I tend to form a familiar bond with a lot of characters in my original stories as well that look and act nothing like me, pretty much using my perception of their actual selves to dictate what they would do in the story, almost as if asking them myself. In my eyes, she just happens to be the version of me that I never had the confidence to display outwardly. And even the things she does internalize, as well as her "shadow", are all related to personal truths. I hope to use this story to breach my social barriers, as well as my physical ones, in the form of a lighthearted – yet hopefully sympathetic – story of a group of friends and their adventures, as they discover things about themselves, as well as learning of their true enemies.

_**~*Prologue~**_

"_Think of it as a piece of my heart," Ailie placed the triangular pendant in my hand and closed my fingers around it. "Happy birthday, Hiromi."_

I gripped the pendant around my neck as I stood atop my favorite seat on the jetty, a tear escaping my eye even this long after my best friend's disappearance. No one remembered she even existed after the giant storm three years ago, it seemed. No search parties were conducted, no missing person signs posted. But no matter; I had been preparing for this day. Tomorrow I would turn seventeen. I would be old enough to go off on adventures now, right? I was still a little nervous about the whole "alone" thing, but if everyone thinks you're borderline crazy and you're playing one big game of make-believe , it's hard to find anyone willing to go with you.

Who knows? Maybe I _am _crazy. Since Ailie's disappearance, I kept having dreams of a kid I never even met. Over the past three years, I watched various escapades of a spiky-haired boy and his two friends. Maybe that was my inspiration for going on my quest. Stepping onto my makeshift raft, I lowered the sail and drifted off without even a backwards glance at my hometown of Cielle.

**~*Chapter 1~**

Riku, his long layered hair shielding his eyes from the setting sun, leaned against the paopu tree, scowling irritably. In the span of the two years after they had returned from the World that Never Was, Sora and Kairi had confessed their love to each other. They now were inseparable as a couple and were currently involved with unknotting their tongues. Kairi had cut her hair again, though not as short as when she was fourteen. It now stopped at the nape of her neck and feathered out softly at the ends. Riku, on the other hand, hadn't cut his for about a year, and it was now falling about waist-length. Sora kept making fun of him for it, but he took pride in how long it had gotten. Sora's, somehow, still remained the same.

Riku's frustrated mood was made obvious when he suddenly jerked up from his position to kick some tall grass. "I'm so _bored_, you guys!" He kicked the grass again, causing some to break off and flutter into the nearby water.

Kairi raised an eyebrow at him and Sora leaned over to look at his friend, curious. "Why the sudden grumpy attitude?"

"I always feel like a fifth wheel with you guys now," he replied, slouching and looking out at the sunset. "I just want something to happen to break this awkward mood. I don't care what it is at this point."

"That happened a couple minutes ago," Sora replied, pointing out at the ocean. A small silhouette in front of the sun finally caught the attention of the other two.

Using his hand to block out the sun further, Riku saw it was a water craft of some sort. A raft, maybe, with a small sail. But he didn't see anyone operating it. "Couldn't you have told us about that sooner?"

"You never asked." Sora replied simply. He suddenly jumped from his perch on the branch and air-slid over the surface of the water, creating little ripples in his wake. Riku followed behind a little more slowly, with Kairi at the rear. When the other two caught up, Sora had a hand on a prone figure sprawled on top of it. Turning back to the others, he called, "Hey, I think I found the driver!"

Nothing really stood out about her appearance; pale skin, shoulder-length brown hair… Though her eyes were shaped somewhat differently and she seemed to be taller than either of them, indicating a heritage that didn't come from the islands or immediate surrounding areas.

"Is she alive?" Sora asked, poking her in the face. Kairi slapped his wrist, her irritated look telling him to quit fooling around before she leaned in to do a rough scan for injuries.

"She's alive, but judging by her condition, both heat exhaustion and starvation have caused her to faint for who knows how long." Kairi looked up pleadingly at Riku. "Do you think…?"

Riku looked away from her. The princess's face had a way of pulling at your will. "N-no way," he said falteringly. "I know my place is the only one with a spare room, but…" He gave the unconscious girl a wary glance before looking back at Kairi. "She's giving me a weird feeling. I can't really explain it, but I'm getting really uneasy." Sora grinned and made a mumbled comment, to which he responded with a cuff to the head. Sora trotted off a ways, sniggering.

Kairi diverted her attention to sprinkle some water on the girl's forehead. "You can't use that excuse on me. I know what you're really like. You'll take care of her."

After a futile attempt to deny it with a glare, Riku finally gave in and sighed heavily. "Alright, but I'm not going to do it without kicking and screaming."

"So you'll do it."

"Yeah, whatever." He glanced at the girl one more time, a slight knot forming in his stomach. "So… should I take her now, then?"

**~*Chapter 2~**

_**Disney Castle**_

Pluto raised his head and cocked an ear up in response to a gentle knock on the library door at Disney Castle. King Mickey was asleep in the chair next to him. Pluto whined, waking his owner. Another knock accompanied by a muffled question caused him to rush to the door and unlock it. Goofy, captain of the Royal Guard, pushed a cart inside, carrying a covered dish.

"Yer Highness, sorry to interrupt ya, but the Queen said you were in here for a while." Goofy awkwardly lifted the cover to reveal a sandwich that somehow was almost three times taller than its container. "Got Cook ta make yer favorite."

Mickey's face brightened. "Ham, tomato, cheese, ham, ham, cheese, tomato, ham, tomato, and ham with cheese?"

"Deluxe." Goofy replied, grinning.

"Gosh, that's swell."

"Uh, if ya don't mind me askin', sire, why're ya in here so much lately?"

Mickey's bright eyes darkened a bit, and his smile lessened, but he tried to maintain a slight calm. Not that it would work on Goofy, Mr. Perceptive. "You really want to know?

"I found another report from Xehanort. It's only a small, hastily scribbled one, but it got me wonderin' if there's gonna be an aftereffect because of it. Take a look." He picked up a single, yellowed sheet of paper and handed it to him. Many of the words were too illegible, but a few were able to be deciphered.

"Half a Heart… Experiments… Purebloods… Nameless… Failure… Escape… Seven… Massacre…?" Goofy visibly paled at the last word. "Is this what you've been doin' all this time? Tryin' to figure out what the rest of it says?"

Mickey nodded. "Look at the date."

Goofy scanned the header and an expression of shock was added to his already nervous face. "Th-this was… three years ago…?"

"That's right," the king said. "It's the day the Door to Darkness was opened." He looked his guard straight in the face. "Find Donald and go get Sora. Maybe even his friends. I got a feeling we're in for something soon. It has been two years since the whole incident with Xemnas. Things have been too calm since then. We have to find out what's going on before it's too late. If my hunch is correct, we have to destroy the coming darkness at the source if we have even a chance of surviving."

_**Destiny Islands**_

Hiromi stretched and sighed. The bed she was in felt so much better than the hard planks she had used for the raft. She began wondering how she had gotten into it and how long she had been out when she smelled something delicious. Sitting up, she surveyed the room. It had a lower ceiling and smaller furnishings than she was familiar with, but all around looked very much like back home. But no source for the smell. She stretched again before getting up and heading for the door. As she reached for the knob, it opened inward and clocked her in the nose.

"_Gwah!_" She rubbed her nose as a guy about her height backed into the room. He wore a set of sleeveless shirts; one gray and low-cut, the other white with a dark blue collar, held closed by a small clip in the front. His left arm sported a black cloth bracer wrapped in some bandages. His long, silver hair was tied hastily back in a ponytail, presumably to keep it out of the food he was carrying. He quickly set the tray of food on a dresser before assessing the damage.

"Crap, I shoulda come in more slowly, didn't think you'd wake up yet…" He turned to face her more directly, reaching out to touch her nose, and Hiromi's breath caught. He was beautiful. Almost as if on cue, a small drop of blood made its way out of her nostril. As he leaned closer, his turquoise eyes sparked a memory. He looked different now, but the dreams from that time…

"Um… if it doesn't bother you… what's your name?"

"Riku," he said distractedly, before nodding. "Just a little smacked around. You'll heal up quickly enough…" he whipped out a tissue. "Might want to clean that up, though."

Hiromi didn't hear him. Eyes brightening, she asked, "Riku? Sora and Kairi's friend Riku?"

He paused, a little confused. "Um… Sure… Do I know you?"

She shook her head. "You three appeared in my dreams after the storm three years ago," she replied calmly, as if she was discussing the weather last Tuesday.

Riku's expression darkened, but all he said was, "I have to go." And he did. Hiromi glanced at the food tray: a roasted fish on a stick with mashed potatoes and sautéed mushrooms, with baby carrots and a strange yellow juice in a small glass. _Delicious scent found! _The plate was clean within five minutes. Not even the fish bones remained.

**~*Chapter 3~**

"How can she know?" Riku was pacing in Sora's room, eyes darting to various objects strewn on the floor and shelves, trying to avoid looking over at the bed where Sora and Kairi had somehow turned into a pretzel. "No one else had memories of the storm except us." He stopped walking to stare at them, despite his previous goal. "So what does that leave us?"

Sora finally broke free and began to ponder. He alternately kicked his legs out as he thought, his heels thumping against the floorboards rhythmically. After a few seconds he replied, "Maybe they're leaked from someone else who was involved."

"But weren't we the only ones there?" Riku rubbed his eyes, frustrated. "If we all remember it clearly, it couldn't be leaked from any of us."

"There was someone else." Kairi said. "That's the only other explanation. All that's left to ask is who gave them to her."

"You said she knew all of our names?" Sora asked.

Riku nodded. "Like she was right there the very first day." _Sounds like Naminé's work,_ he reasoned, _But she's back with Kairi, so where does _that_ leave us?_

"I wonder if there's any connection with her and people we met along the way." Kairi interrupted his thoughts. "We should question her, at least, and find out why she's here."

"Well, you can count me out," Riku replied, "She just made me want to avoid her even more with that little thing she pulled."

"Sure, I'll talk to her over at your place," Sora told him. "You and Kairi hang for a bit; I'll be back before you can say 'buttered toast'."

"Buttered toast," came Kairi's hasty response.

"Alright, maybe not that fast…" he smiled fondly and ruffled her hair before running out of the room.

A small pause, and Riku shifted awkwardly before saying, "So uh… how's it been?"

Kairi shrugged. "Oh, you know… This and that…"

"… Cool." He intertwined his fingers and twiddled his thumbs with the continuation of awkward pause, leaning against the wall with his legs crossed. "…Yep…"

In the meantime, Hiromi had wanted to thank Riku for her meal, as he had left rather suddenly. Opening the door to her room, she stepped out into a short hallway. There was light at one end of it, so she headed in that direction, hoping it was either the way outside or an inhabitant.

Discovering the former, she pushed the door open to a tropical island town. The words "Destiny Islands" in chunky bubble letters floated into her view, along with a random cartoon palm tree and a sunset over the caricature of an island before fading away. _Where did _that_ come from…?_ She shrugged it off and made her way down a gravel path, which led to a larger clump of houses, possibly a town center or something similar. Something caught her eye as she was heading toward them, running into a clump of bushes. Momentarily distracted, she approached them. The leaves of the closest bush rustled loudly before something struck the side of her head, and she swiftly spiraled into a sea of stars.

The pain that welcomed her when she came to made her want to sink back into unconsciousness. It felt like her skull was about to explode, and there was likely a massive egg where she was hit. She tried to touch it, but found her hands were tied behind her back. She was lying on her side, face against the dirty floor of a small shack, apparently abandoned if the sunlight shining through cracks in the walls were any indication. They lit the area enough to show there was someone else with her.

A small form was crouched near the lopsided door, busying itself with something, evident by clicking and scratching noises coming from its direction. After a few more seconds, it turned its head toward her. But something was wrong. The left side of its body was semi-transparent, and crackled with static, like an old television.

"Ah, you're awake," It growled. Standing to its full height of five feet, Hiromi could see that it was a girl, probably an age between thirteen and fifteen. But she had animal-like features, the most prominent being the pointed ears atop her head, and the long, fluffy tail trailing behind her. Her hair was a little longer than shoulder length, with short bangs cutting across her face. The left side floated weightlessly, and the clothing she wore on the same side drifted in and out of its field, as if it was barely being held there at all. She had no left eye, and what remained of her mouth on that side was like a jagged beak. It was as if that half of her was never supposed to exist at all, the other side desperately trying to compensate for its lack of completeness. In her right hand was Hiromi's pendant, the thick string it hung by dangling freely. Shoving the amber triangle in the prone girl's face, she hissed, "How does it work?"

This was a question that took her by surprise. "What do you mean, 'how does it work'?" she asked, confused. "It's a necklace. My friend gave it to me—"

The half-being cut her off with a harsh cackle. "You have no idea, do you?" She threw it at Hiromi's feet and glared savagely at her, her misshapen face inches from hers. "I'll tell you right now that it's more than just a trinket."

If she was going to say any more, she was cut off by the door slamming open. A boy about the creature's height barged in loudly, and it took her a moment to stop staring in shock. Once Sora had his sight on her, she let out a shrill cry and vanished into a portal of tattered smoke, leaving him and Hiromi alone.

"There you are…" the boy said, grinning. "You weren't in the house anymore, so I got kinda worried." He pointed his Keyblade at Hiromi's bindings, and they vanished in a beam of light. "I heard some noise coming from over here, so figured I'd go check it out."

She hastily grabbed her necklace and began rubbing the feeling back into her limbs. "Thanks, Sora—Eep." She quickly covered her mouth with her hands. "I'm sorry, I made Riku run away when I recognized him and I don't want you to—"

"It's okay, he told me already." Sora smiled reassuringly. "That's kinda why I came back. To check on you and to ask how you know about us."

"I wish I could tell you, but I'm just as clueless as you are." She reached up to scratch her head, but she forgot about her injury, causing her to wince when she touched it.

"That's okay; we can figure it out together. Come with me." Before he turned back out the door, he tossed her a jar with green liquid suspending a colloidal star inside. "Be sure to drink all of it for full effect."

Hiromi wasn't ready for it and juggled it around trying to get a decent handhold before catching it… upside down. Thankfully the stopper was still secure. "Alright… Thanks…" She hoisted herself up, uncorked it, and downed it in one gulp. She wasn't expecting the star to be so solid and choked a little, though it didn't taste unpleasant. Immediately, the bump dissolved and the pain was nearly imperceptible, though her head still ached a bit. She quickly followed Sora out into the sunlight that glared harshly into eyes so used to the darkness of the shack. Realizing while she knew everyone's name already but they didn't know hers, she stuck out her hand in greeting. "I'm Hiromi. Nice to finally make your acquaintance, Sora."

Sora's surprise that she knew who he was had no effect on his impression of her, it seemed, unlike Riku. "Likewise." He took her hand and shook it, smiling.

**~*Chapter 4~**

When Hiromi finally got to meet Kairi (Sora brought her to his house afterward), she was friendly enough, despite the fact that the introductions were one-sided. Riku kept to the other side of the room while she was there, she noticed, probably from what happened earlier that morning. It made her wonder if there was a way to lessen the apparent hostility that had developed.

"So, what drove you to sail here?" Sora hastily asked, seeming to sense the same thing and trying to start some conversation.

"The raft," she replied, making Kairi splutter at the unexpected witty response. Even Riku snickered a little before he caught himself. Trying to save face, he cleared his throat a little and covered his mouth. "But in all seriousness, it's to prove my sanity." (Inside Riku's head, he was screaming to his friends, "See? I _KNEW_ she was crazy!") Hiromi grabbed her necklace where it was attached to the pendant. "My best friend gave this to me. But three years ago she went missing from everyone's memory except mine. I think it's the necklace, or something related to it, that saved me from forgetting her completely, in all honesty. But because of that, everyone thinks I'm making her up. So I'm looking for her to show I'm not."

"You just built a raft and set sail in a random direction, hoping to find a single specific person?" Kairi asked, astonished.

Hiromi nodded. "Even though you three taught me the world's so much bigger than most people are aware, it drove me to search even harder." She grinned at Sora. "You may know what I mean."

Sora returned the grin to her, and then glanced at Riku. "Yep."

Riku looked away and grunted but didn't say anything, though Hiromi thought she saw the hint of a smile in the corners of his lips before he put his defenses back up.

"So, where you headed after here?"

"I don't know. I can probably go in any cardinal direction and be moving away from her." She dropped her elbows onto her knees and hung her head. "It'd be so much easier if I had a way to go places quickly…"

"Say no more," Sora stopped her, holding out his hand for emphasis. "I have just the thing."

A sudden crash outside the house halted any more conversation as they all crowded around the window to see what had happened. Through the smoke and upturned earth on the yard, a brightly colored object was poking out of the ground.

Sora looked dumbfounded. "Er, not what I was going for, but that works too." Peeling himself from the window, he beckoned for the others to follow him. "Looks like we just got ourselves a ride!"

"Flood!" A voice quacked from the gummi ship wreckage. Water from underground suddenly fountained up, and the flames were soon subdued. Structurally it was still fine, but it was apparently highly combustible.

"That's the _last_ time I let you drive!" Donald grumbled as he stepped out from the now-soaked ship. He quickly shivered himself dry, and waited for Goofy to follow. The knight had his head lowered shamefully.

"But I tried askin' ya how to land but you just ignored me." He glanced at Donald, eyes big and welling up with tears.

That was enough. Donald's mean demeanor melted and he sighed. "Aww, I'm sorry, you're right."

"Hey, guys!" Sora called as he and the others finally arrived at the scene. "Boy, am I glad you showed up, see, we need the ship to—"

"It better be to save the worlds again, because we're gonna need all the help we can get." Donald said coolly, a slight scowl returning to his face. "We're taking you all to the king for your debrief." Sora snickered, and the duck rolled his eyes. "Oh, grow up!"

"But—" Sora started protesting.

Goofy was being strangely quiet, until now. "As much as I'da liked to come on more laidback conditions to see ya again, I'm afraid Donald's right. We don't have much time to explain, so it's best if ya just come with us."

Sora glanced back at Hiromi, an odd expression on his face. After a small pause, he continued his objection. "But I can't just leave her hanging. We just met and were gonna help her find someone." He reluctantly took a step back from the ship. "If she's not going, then I'm not."

"No." Hiromi spoke quietly but firmly. "Your duty for the worlds is more important than aiding one person on a personal journey. Go with them. I'm fine."

Goofy looked at Donald again, then at the girl. She returned the glance and smiled, recognition in her eyes. He noticed it, and though he should have felt fear, she didn't seem to have the disposition of someone working for the darkness. No, more like she had a small, nearly-hidden flame within her. Whether that flame would expand and warm other people's hearts, or become out of control and burn their hearts raw, he didn't know. All he knew at that moment was… "Ya gotta come with us."

"What?!" Five pairs of eyes swiveled to him.

"Just trust me," he stood tall and spoke with determination. "I got a feelin'. Maybe you'll even find your friend if ya come with us."

Hiromi circled her toe in the dirt thoughtfully. True, the chances of running into Ailie were probably about the same, and if she went with all of them, she wouldn't be in danger of nearly dying again… She flushed with embarrassment. She had always been a tomboy, and outdoor survival should have been on the top of her list of skills. Though to be fair, she didn't realize the ocean was that… big… Meh, what the hell. Finally raising her head, she replied with a slight smile, "If you'll take me, I'll try my best to be helpful."

**~*Chapter 5~**

_**A Secret Hideout Somewhere Underground**_

The man with the spike embedded in his shoulder looked about the room at six others. All but one looked at him with, at a minimum, an expression of reverence. The odd one out, a masked individual with seven studs where his left eye should have been, hunched over and shuddered a little, the permanent grin on his false face made even more eerie by the occasional raspy giggle that emerged from his mouth. The man had to be thankful they kept him somewhat sane; any lessening of the seals would result in a reckless disregard for others as he would begin to indiscriminatingly attack everything that moved. True, he may not be the strongest, but his willpower alone could raze a good majority of the worlds before he finally fell, if he was even capable of being opposed. That was why he had asked his second in command to keep him under even more control. The tall, skinny man, the restraints on both his hands glinting in the low light, gripped a set of invisible strings attached to the seventh's body. He moved a finger in response to the recent laughter—which was a little too loud for the current atmosphere—and the masked boy suddenly slid closer to him as if an unseen force had grabbed him by the elbow and dragged him. The rest of his body had remained limp, exaggerating this effect even more.

"My apologies, Lord Szeiann," the puppet master crooned. "Please continue."

The lead man nodded. "As I was saying, it seems the Heartless we were trailing is finally out from hiding after all this time and on the move once more. We have to capture it if we are to continue where our father left off. There are quite a few worlds that haven't been explored yet, and the subject of interest could have also backtracked to any of the other worlds we had previously visited."

The lone female in the room raised her hand then. "I've been keeping watch over many of the earlier worlds, my lord. Reports have come up dry, as usual."

"Yes, thank you, Token."

"My name is Izsampul, my lord." Her reply was normal, but her fingers brushed across a few of the five tiny spears embedded in her right kneecap.

Maintaining a face of indifference, he turned toward the center of the room. "Of course it is. Next item on the agenda: It seems we have an object worth researching according to one of our spies." He stepped to a circular table and placed an object on top of it. It projected a rotating three-dimensional hologram, its colors shifting unpredictably.

"It's a triangle," a giant man with four bolts in his neck said. "What's so special about that?"

Szeiann rolled his eyes. "Obviously, considering it was the rogue Nobody we took under our wing who reported this, it has to do with its counterpart." He motioned back to the hologram as he paced the room. "This object is a pendant containing what we are led to believe as half of a heart. If we can get our hands on this, it will begin answering many questions we have concerning hearts and their effects on people and the worlds around us. Also, our source claims if it comes to possess said piece of heart, it will become equal to our initial subject of interest, and will possibly even be able to find it."

The only other person standing, a small, jittery boy shuffled about and began tapping his impaled feet against the floor nervously. "Can we get it done soon?" he asked. "I don't want to be here any longer… Need to keep moving…" He started muttering random sentence fragments quietly to himself, and continued his hyperactive movements.

Szeiann sighed. The meeting was falling apart already, but he did find it rewarding that it was a record for length of time. "Anyway," he said before things got any more out of hand, "All of you keep track of your assigned worlds and stay in touch with our colleague." With that, he clapped his hands twice. "Meeting adjourned."

Almost instantly the room was empty, but not before all the occupants sighed loudly with relief. It was hard to keep them together, even for simple things like this. The only reason Szeiann kept the leadership role was because he was the eldest and therefore more experienced than the others. Also, he was the only one who was made with a Pureblood and was therefore more placid in his approach, another plus for the rest at least conceding to his leadership. The others… they weren't so lucky. The scientists had to go a step further and use the already-unstable Emblem variety for six more tests. Probably would have gone even further if Number Seven hadn't taken everyone out. It was only Szeiann's quick thinking and knowledge of the restraints' powers that saved the experiments' lives—yet another reason he had become head of the establishment. Now it was his responsibility to take up where they had left off in searching for the unique Heartless and studying its properties using various techniques and instruments in what he could salvage from their notes.

Szeiann leaned back against a wall and shut his eyes, trying to relieve the throbbing pain in his head. He hoped beyond all hope that they could at least work in a way that would be beneficial to the cause as well as keeping their wavering morale high enough to continue. It had already taken over three years, and he doubted they would be in agreement for very much longer, given the tension between all of the members. If things went well, it would only be a little bit longer. He put his entire willpower into a single wish…

That everything would turn out fine before it all collapsed.

_**The Lanes Between**_

Hiromi lay on her back and gazed up through the circular-shaped skylight, simply staring into the darkness, thrilled at the sight of it.

"Pretty cool, isn't it?" Sora asked from outside her field of vision.

She nodded and continued taking it all in. "I never thought I'd see so many colors when it was this dark out." She turned around to smile at him. "It's really amazing." She'd almost say it was beautiful, but it wasn't her style. She then noticed the roof of the ship was completely transparent, with just enough area for her to lie flat and look up at even more at once as they blasted through the darkness.

"… You know you're taking up floor space by doing that, right?" Riku stood over her, arms crossed with a disapproving look on his face. "Plus you're encouraging Mr. ADD over here."

She looked up to see Sora doing the same thing next to her, upside-down to her position. "How come I never thought about doing this before?" he asked. Hiromi couldn't help but chuckle, and laid her head back down.

_**Disney Castle**_

The trip was quick with no incidents; they arrived at their destination in about ten minutes. Sora was the first one out, and helped pull Kairi from the gummi ship. Next were Donald and Riku, followed by Hiromi, and finally Goofy, who closed the hatch behind them. They had landed in an underground docking area, with various mechanical hands tasked with repairing and cleaning the ship. The tiny operators, the chipmunks Chip and Dale, were on the other side of a catwalk, busy with their work. However, when they saw who had come out of the craft, they halted all operations and scrambled to greet the new arrivals.

"Sora!"

"You came back!"

As quickly as their little legs could carry them, they scrambled over and began climbing all over the newcomers. Greetings were exchanged, and introductions were made. Immediately following this, the chipmunks led them down the vast hall to the library, where the king was still waiting for them.

King Mickey glanced and Hiromi and nodded at her with a quick smile before turning to Sora. "No doubt the other two already filled you in, but I figured you would want to see for yourself." He led them all to the table he was working at, more books and papers strewn across it from the last time Goofy had visited him. Amid the apparent chaos, the single note was on the very top, with new lines and tiny notes branching out from it, pointing to the adjacent documents. Suddenly, it didn't seem so disorganized. A small, green cricket in a top hat emerged from one of the pages and bounced up and down excitedly as he explained further.

"During your transit, I was able to pick up some related material that might help narrow your search. So far we have two worlds we are suspecting, if you don't mind looking." He dove back into the pile and reappeared with two pieces of paper with drawings of what looked like a world on each of them. Under the pictures was a code of some sort. "I think these are Gummi Ship coordinates. If you input this hexadecimal code into the GPS module, it should go straight there, no problem.

"Wait a second Jiminy." Sora snatched one up so quickly, the startled cricket was carried up a ways before he finally reacted and let go of the paper. "Hey, I've been here before. Maybe we should check this spot first."

**~*Chapter 6~**

"Wait a second! You of all people should recognize this place." Donald called after Hiromi just as she was about to step out of the ship. They had landed in a patch of grassland far from much of anything. But looking around, the girl spotted a landmark.

"Oh. Crap, that's right." The landmark was a giant rock formation that stood out above the plain like a sore thumb. Pride Rock: home of Simba's Pride. "I have to go animal to blend in."

"Bingo," the duck quacked sarcastically. "C'mere a sec, all of you." He gathered everyone together closely, and raised his wand. In about one second, they all underwent a transformation. The humans became lions, while Goofy turned into a turtle and Donald… sort of just gained the ability to fly. As she somewhat came to expect, the text for the world they had entered rose up into her vision. "Pridelands", it said in solid, stonelike block letters, with the rock in the background.

Hiromi jumped back from the rest to look at herself. She was a rust color all over with a brown tail tuft and a little more scruff on the top of her head than she noticed on Kairi, who was sandy-yellow, though so pale she was almost white. Riku had gained dark gray fur to complement his luxurious silver mane. Sora looked the same as he had the first time they had come to this place, his mane incomplete even after all these years. Hiromi thought she noticed a hint of jealousy directed at his best friend, but she was sure she imagined it.

In addition to the physical changes, all their clothing was gone, as well, with only a single item left on them. Sora kept his necklace, Goofy and Donald kept their hats. Kairi held on to her bracelets, which twirled around her paws at each step she took. Riku kept his arm brace, and Hiromi retained her pendant. The transformations complete, the "mini-pride" of outsiders prepared for the journey to Pride Rock.

"Man, I can't believe we're back here," Sora mused as they trotted along. "Simba and I go back to the beginning, y'know? He was a really helpful summon for a good chunk of my starting days, and I got to even fight alongside him later. It'll be great to see what his kingdom is like, now that Scar's outta the way for g—" Suddenly, despite the lack of much environmental cover, a huge, dark lion tackled him seemingly out of nowhere. He was about double Sora's size and easily pinned him to the ground. Sora gasped with recognition. He looked like a younger version of Scar. He even had the deceased lion's namesake in the same place.

"Sora!" Everyone started racing to him, hoping to team up and free their friend, but the other lion roared threateningly at them.

"Any one of you moves and I kill him," he growled. "Now, what are you doing this close to the Pridelands?"

"We're just here to see Simba," Goofy said gently. "We're old friends."

The dark lion scoffed. "Yeah, I can believe you and the bird, but the rest of you all look even younger than me."

At that moment, a lioness stepped out from the grass. They hadn't seen her either. She had a deep yellow coat and pretty burnt orange eyes.

"You know my father?" she asked, her expression a mix of fear and sincere curiosity.

"Yes, we do," Donald quacked, landing on Goofy's shell. "I think you were in your mom's tummy last time we visited."

"Visitors… You're the outsiders my dad's been talking about?" She suddenly lit up. "He goes on about you all the time! Sora, Donald, and Goofy, right?"

"Yep, that's us," Sora said, still under the bigger lion's paws. "Um, d'you mind getting your buddy off me? I kinda can't breathe…"

"It's alright, Kovu. He's telling the truth."

Now it was Kovu's turn to look confused. "But… If they're that old… they shouldn't look like—"

"You don't need to worry about reasons, we outsiders age a little more slowly than you guys, I guess. Eh-heh-heh-heh…" Riku shook his head and rolled his eyes. Anyone could see through Sora's ridiculous cover story, if it could even be called that.

The two lions didn't question it, though. Kovu turned in the direction the others had been following and looked over his shoulder at them. "Well, c'mon, then. We were just headed back ourselves."

"You did WHAT?!"

They had finally reached Pride rock after about an hour, and the young lioness was standing defiantly in front of her father. Simba looked just as Sora remembered him, except nowadays he seemed a little more slumped over than before, probably because of getting older, but also perhaps something else, as well. He would probably have to talk with him later about that, in private.

"I went to the far end of the savannah," Kiara repeated matter-of-factly. "Kovu was with me the entire time, there's no need to—"

"I have EVERY reason to worry, especially when you're with that _outcast!_" Simba's face burned with hatred. "He's Zira's ward. She even used my trust in your judgment to let him infiltrate our pride and learn _all about_ us. He was reporting back to her on _everything_ we did!"

"That's a lie, and you know it!" Kiara shot back. "You even know that she denied his return because he 'turned soft'. Now he has nowhere to go, and you won't take him back in because of something he did in the _past_ he has _no control over_?"

Simba's face relaxed a little, almost begging. "Kiara, lis—"

"I'm _through_ listening. As long as I can remember, you've been overprotective of me, and won't even tell me _why_."

By this point, Nala had entered the chamber, and a look of genuine pain crossed her face. She looked at her mate and desperately, silently pleading with him.

After a few seconds with a staring contest, Simba finally backed down. "Fine, Whatever. Go do what you want, I can't stop you anymore."

"Simba—" Nala began to speak, but he just brushed past her. Kiara took this opportunity to stomp out in a huff, leaving only the newcomers with the older lioness. She sighed, and put on a more cheerful face.

"Sora, welcome to you and your friends. I apologize that this was not on a happier note, but there is a reason he does not like to let her out of his sight very often." Her smile took a grim shadow that lasted only a second before fading. "You remember I was pregnant last time you visited, right?"

"Yeah. She's grown into a very pretty lioness," Sora began, but if he had anything else he was going to say faded as Nala hung her head, the pain returning to her face.

"That was our son."

Everyone in the room paled. She had another cub in the time they had been gone? Before any questions that had formed within the minds of the outsiders, Nala continued.

"Kiara doesn't remember him. He was barely old enough to start growing out his mane when she was born. Zira had been on our lookout for a while at that point; we knew she desired power even from that early on; we had watched her when she was still with Scar, snaking her way into being his "personal favorite", as it was. After he died, we thought we were safe. Zira is no threat on her own, and not even the hyenas were that stupid to stick around with her. But after Kopa was born… she somehow…" Nala paused to lower her head in grief. "I should have warned him, thought it was safe enough. Simba and I had played there plenty of times, and we were confident he would be able to fend for himself. But I had forgotten that last time, before Simba had been banished. We were foolish and had gotten ourselves cornered. If it hadn't been for his father…"

Sudden realization dawned on her, and she pardoned herself before sprinting out of the room, leaving the new arrivals to stare dumbly at each other for what seemed like two hours. It was probably more like thirty seconds.

Finally, Sora broke the silence with a sing-songy "Awkward…" No one was amused.

**~*Chapter 7~**

It was evening. Hiromi paced the alcove that had been set aside for them during their stay. The plan was to set out in the morning and search for the source of the world's apparent distress signal. But they had no idea what to search for, other than previous enemies, like Heartless and Nobodies. Sora had said there were others, but they didn't manifest themselves anymore, or were literally only things of dreams. She had a feeling, though, that it was something entirely new. Something none of them had experienced yet. And it kind of scared her.

Finally, exhaustion took over, long after the others went to sleep, and she lay down on the smooth stone. Even resting, her mind never stopped working. She knew it was going to be a rough morning, but she didn't care.

_**The Lanes Between, close to the world of the Pridelands**_

The shadowed figure floated in the void, weighing his options. He would have to blend in to do his work, but that was alright. He liked the kind of jobs that required swift action. Slowly, he made his way to the target location, molding his form to mimic the dominant life-forms. When he finally touched down, an adolescent lion with near-black coloration and ice-blue eyes looked upon the world with reluctant admiration. His hind feet twitched excitedly, the single spikes in each rear paw and one in his right hock glinting off the moonlight. The initial setup required a lot of waiting, but it was worth it when he considered what he got to do next.

A noise woke Riku at dawn, just before the sun rose. It was soft, but sounded… off. He rose quietly, and silently wished for Sora to watch over Kairi as he surveyed the surrounding area. Hiromi's place was empty; the noise could have just been her. But no, this was a different feeling. Slowly, he stalked the alcove carefully, and soon reached the entrance to the cave. Aside from the wind passing across the opening, all was silent.

There! A sharp clack of small stones falling over larger ones, like someone was coming up from—

As he rushed to the edge of the natural stairs leading to the ground, he ran into something. Though it was about his size, it gave way easily, hitting the ground with a soft thump.

"Ow."

A groan escaped him before he could contain it. "What were you doing out here so early in the morning?"

"I forgot to ask where they go to the bathroom, so I figured I'd at least not go on the rocks…" Hiromi replied in a sarcastic tone. "What about you?"

Riku quickly got up and shook residual dust off himself, not caring if any got on her. "Heard something, so gonna check it out."

"I see. Can I come?"

He let out an annoyed huff and started walking, but didn't object when she fell into step next to him. At least she knew how to keep quiet when tracking. He carefully observed his surroundings as they circled Pride Rock for anything suspicious.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable," she said softly, trying to keep her feet from scuffing too much.

"You still do."

"Then I can leave. Couldn't sleep for a long time, so I'm kinda exhausted now." She turned to go.

It left him before he could stop himself. "No."

Hiromi looked back and quizzically asked, "What?"

"N-no, you don't have to feel obligated to—" He sighed. "Look, don't think this is some sort of… thing I have for you, but the circumstances have made me wonder about why you are connected to all of us, seemingly out of nowhere. If it's alright with you, I'd like to know more, and try to figure this thing out. Now seems like it could be the best time, one-on-one, like an interview or something."

She paused before turning around. "I still creep you out, don't I?"

He couldn't help but smile. "A little."

The trail came up dry after a complete circuit around the rock, so the two of them headed back up. During that time, Riku had asked more on Hiromi's history with her friend, which soon shifted to her pendant after a few key mentions of it. Specifically when Ailie had told her the gift was "a piece of her heart". That alone started another, unexpected string of questions involving speculation on whether those memories Hiromi had obtained involved her presence at the scene, and how she had gotten there to begin with, if that was indeed the case.

By now, the other lionesses were awakening, they and their cubs emerging from side dens along the sides of Pride Rock. Nala also peeked her head over the edge near the top.

"Out for an early morning stroll?"

"No, I thought I heard something, so we went to make sure it wasn't the— a threat." Riku caught himself in front of the others, as he wasn't sure if they were aware of the reason he and his friends were actually there.

"Great. Then are you able to join us for some fresh kill?"

"Excuse me?" Riku asked, turning slightly green.

Hiromi grinned and played off his revulsion. "They're offering breakfast, silly!" She turned back to Nala. "Lead on, lady!" She resisted a cackle as she heard Riku struggling not to throw up in his mouth.

"What's a… lady?"

"Just an expression from our parts. Don't worry about it."

**~*Chapter 8~**

Kovu paced the cave, not far from Pride Rock, close to the Elephant Graveyard. Kiara sulked nearby.

"I'm sure there's a good reason, but he won't even explain," she muttered bitterly. "I mean, he's obviously hiding something, so why not just up and tell me?"

"I'm sure he has his reasons. But that's not what worries me." He stopped pacing to sit next to her. "I saw another outsider, but this one was different somehow. He had giant things in his paws and a shifty expression on his face. I'm gonna need you to tell your father—"

"No. I'm not going back there."

"Kiara, this is impor—"

"I don't care!" The lioness snapped in his face. "Maybe he deserves to have a little trouble thrown at him for shunning you so heartlessly!"

"And as much as I would normally agree with you, I'm saying it might not be the right thing to do right now!" Kovu snarled, causing Kiara to jump and move back slightly. "Your dad said in his stories about Sora and his friends that they travel the lands defeating dangerous enemies that we can't defeat ourselves. Do you not think there might be a reason they're here now?"

Kiara's face fell and she focused on a small stone on the ground as the reality set in. After a bit, she looked toward the entrance and ran as fast as she could. Simba had to know about this.

"So… You're telling me you have a way to crush Simba once and for all, giving me the power I have craved since Scar's downfall?" Zira sprawled on her favorite rock, eyeing the small lion skeptically.

"And more. You could be the ruler of not only the pride, but of the entire world!" he replied, his eyes animated at the thought. If he could just have someone to stand behind, it would be little time before he overthrew that haughty Szeiann and his so-called "leadership". One world at a time, he could gain power over all of them. And quickly. All his plans involved swift action and speedy results. There were some that required some waiting, but he would take those as a refreshing break.

"I am intrigued, little one. But there is a flaw." She licked her paw broodingly. "I have no desire for total power. I am much more of an… advisor, shall we say."

He mentally kicked himself. Of course she wouldn't want a leadership position. Anyone knows lionesses are naturally the underlings. There needed to be a male to take charge. This sparked another idea. "So, perhaps you would like your son to take this position?"

"Why do you think I haven't actually overthrown that pompous excuse for a leader yet? Kovu was my first choice, but he wants nothing to do with me now. My son is unfit for what role he _does_ have. I doubt he would be fit to rule."

"I'm sorry to hear that." His eyes twinkled. "Perhaps you could let me attempt it instead?"

"You? Barely off his mother's teat and yet you crave something as big as complete leadership?"

"I'm older than I look." He looked around carefully before continuing. "My name is Zeetdrem. I'm from another world, in a different form than anything you've seen here. I'm probably even older than you, but we age a lot more slowly. If you hear me out, I can make you my second in not only in this world, but in numerous worlds beyond this."

Zira eyed him with interest, as if considering playing with her food before eating it. "I'm listening."

"This Simba character seems incredibly welcoming of those who oppose you; am I correct?"

"It's not far from the truth. But this was my plan with Kovu, and it fell through. Not only did he renounce me as his mentor and caretaker, but now he even fights for Simba's pride." Zira stood up and glared at the lion. "What makes you think you can do any better?"

He smiled darkly. "I'm going to take something he wants."

Zira scoffed haughtily. "What makes you think I haven't tried this once before?"

"Trust me, it will work this time."

Kiara was out of breath by the time she reached her father. He was alone, staring at something distant through the rock wall.

"Dad…" she panted. "Danger…"

He turned to her, surprised to find her of all creatures to speak with him. The word "Danger" finally registered, and he shifted his focus immediately. "Tell me everything."

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Lanes Between, Maleficent shivered. "I sense a disturbance in the power struggle." She pet her crow lovingly. "What are we going to do about it, my pet?"

The bird cawed viciously, as if to say, "Kill them!"

**~*Chapter 9~**


	2. Prologue - Cielle, Destiny Islands

_**~*Prologue~**_

"_Think of it as a piece of my heart," Ailie placed the triangular pendant in my hand and closed my fingers around it. "Happy birthday, Hiromi."_

I gripped the pendant around my neck as I stood atop my favorite seat on the jetty, a tear escaping my eye even this long after my best friend's disappearance. No one remembered she even existed after the giant storm three years ago, it seemed. No search parties were conducted, no missing person signs posted. But no matter; I had been preparing for this day. Tomorrow I would turn seventeen. I would be old enough to go off on adventures now, right? I was still a little nervous about the whole "alone" thing, but if everyone thinks you're borderline crazy and you're playing one big game of make-believe , it's hard to find anyone willing to go with you.

Who knows? Maybe I _am _crazy. Since Ailie's disappearance, I kept having dreams of a kid I never even met. Over the past three years, I watched various escapades of a spiky-haired boy and his two friends. Maybe that was my inspiration for going on my quest. Stepping onto my makeshift raft, I lowered the sail and drifted off without even a backwards glance at my hometown of Cielle.


	3. Chapter 1 - Destiny Islands

**~*Chapter 1~**

Riku, his long layered hair shielding his eyes from the setting sun, leaned against the paopu tree, scowling irritably. In the span of the two years after they had returned from the World that Never Was, Sora and Kairi had confessed their love to each other. They now were inseparable as a couple and were currently involved with unknotting their tongues. Kairi had cut her hair again, though not as short as when she was fourteen. It now stopped at the nape of her neck and feathered out softly at the ends. Riku, on the other hand, hadn't cut his for about a year, and it was now falling about waist-length. Sora kept making fun of him for it, but he took pride in how long it had gotten. Sora's, somehow, still remained the same.

Riku's frustrated mood was made obvious when he suddenly jerked up from his position to kick some tall grass. "I'm so _bored_, you guys!" He kicked the grass again, causing some to break off and flutter into the nearby water.

Kairi raised an eyebrow at him and Sora leaned over to look at his friend, curious. "Why the sudden grumpy attitude?"

"I always feel like a fifth wheel with you guys now," he replied, slouching and looking out at the sunset. "I just want something to happen to break this awkward mood. I don't care what it is at this point."

"That happened a couple minutes ago," Sora replied, pointing out at the ocean. A small silhouette in front of the sun finally caught the attention of the other two.

Using his hand to block out the sun further, Riku saw it was a water craft of some sort. A raft, maybe, with a small sail. But he didn't see anyone operating it. "Couldn't you have told us about that sooner?"

"You never asked." Sora replied simply. He suddenly jumped from his perch on the branch and air-slid over the surface of the water, creating little ripples in his wake. Riku followed behind a little more slowly, with Kairi at the rear. When the other two caught up, Sora had a hand on a prone figure sprawled on top of it. Turning back to the others, he called, "Hey, I think I found the driver!"

Nothing really stood out about her appearance; pale skin, shoulder-length brown hair… Though her eyes were shaped somewhat differently and she seemed to be taller than either of them, indicating a heritage that didn't come from the islands or immediate surrounding areas.

"Is she alive?" Sora asked, poking her in the face. Kairi slapped his wrist, her irritated look telling him to quit fooling around before she leaned in to do a rough scan for injuries.

"She's alive, but judging by her condition, both heat exhaustion and starvation have caused her to faint for who knows how long." Kairi looked up pleadingly at Riku. "Do you think…?"

Riku looked away from her. The princess's face had a way of pulling at your will. "N-no way," he said falteringly. "I know my place is the only one with a spare room, but…" He gave the unconscious girl a wary glance before looking back at Kairi. "She's giving me a weird feeling. I can't really explain it, but I'm getting really uneasy." Sora grinned and made a mumbled comment, to which he responded with a cuff to the head. Sora trotted off a ways, sniggering.

Kairi diverted her attention to sprinkle some water on the girl's forehead. "You can't use that excuse on me. I know what you're really like. You'll take care of her."

After a futile attempt to deny it with a glare, Riku finally gave in and sighed heavily. "Alright, but I'm not going to do it without kicking and screaming."

"So you'll do it."

"Yeah, whatever." He glanced at the girl one more time, a slight knot forming in his stomach. "So… should I take her now, then?"


	4. Chapter 2 - Disney Castle, DI

**~*Chapter 2~**

**_Disney_****_ Castle_**

Pluto raised his head and cocked an ear up in response to a gentle knock on the library door at DisneyCastle. King Mickey was asleep in the chair next to him. Pluto whined, waking his owner. Another knock accompanied by a muffled question caused him to rush to the door and unlock it. Goofy, captain of the Royal Guard, pushed a cart inside, carrying a covered dish.

"Yer Highness, sorry to interrupt ya, but the Queen said you were in here for a while." Goofy awkwardly lifted the cover to reveal a sandwich that somehow was almost three times taller than its container. "Got Cook ta make yer favorite."

Mickey's face brightened. "Ham, tomato, cheese, ham, ham, cheese, tomato, ham, tomato, and ham with cheese?"

"Deluxe." Goofy replied, grinning.

"Gosh, that's swell."

"Uh, if ya don't mind me askin', sire, why're ya in here so much lately?"

Mickey's bright eyes darkened a bit, and his smile lessened, but he tried to maintain a slight calm. Not that it would work on Goofy, Mr. Perceptive. "You really want to know?

"I found another report from Xehanort. It's only a small, hastily scribbled one, but it got me wonderin' if there's gonna be an aftereffect because of it. Take a look." He picked up a single, yellowed sheet of paper and handed it to him. Many of the words were too illegible, but a few were able to be deciphered.

"Half a Heart… Experiments… Purebloods… Nameless… Failure… Escape… Seven… Massacre…?" Goofy visibly paled at the last word. "Is this what you've been doin' all this time? Tryin' to figure out what the rest of it says?"

Mickey nodded. "Look at the date."

Goofy scanned the header and an expression of shock was added to his already nervous face. "Th-this was… three years ago…?"

"That's right," the king said. "It's the day the Door to Darkness was opened." He looked his guard straight in the face. "Find Donald and go get Sora. Maybe even his friends. I got a feeling we're in for something soon. It has been two years since the whole incident with Xemnas. Things have been too calm since then. We have to find out what's going on before it's too late. If my hunch is correct, we have to destroy the coming darkness at the source if we have even a chance of surviving."

**_Destiny_****_ Islands_**

Hiromi stretched and sighed. The bed she was in felt so much better than the hard planks she had used for the raft. She began wondering how she had gotten into it and how long she had been out when she smelled something delicious. Sitting up, she surveyed the room. It had a lower ceiling and smaller furnishings than she was familiar with, but all around looked very much like back home. But no source for the smell. She stretched again before getting up and heading for the door. As she reached for the knob, it opened inward and clocked her in the nose.

"_Gwah!_" She rubbed her nose as a guy about her height backed into the room. He wore a set of sleeveless shirts; one gray and low-cut, the other white with a dark blue collar, held closed by a small clip in the front. His left arm sported a black cloth bracer wrapped in some bandages. His long, silver hair was tied hastily back in a ponytail, presumably to keep it out of the food he was carrying. He quickly set the tray of food on a dresser before assessing the damage.

"Crap, I shoulda come in more slowly, didn't think you'd wake up yet…" He turned to face her more directly, reaching out to touch her nose, and Hiromi's breath caught. He was beautiful. Almost as if on cue, a small drop of blood made its way out of her nostril. As he leaned closer, his turquoise eyes sparked a memory. He looked different now, but the dreams from that time…

"Um… if it doesn't bother you… what's your name?"

"Riku," he said distractedly, before nodding. "Just a little smacked around. You'll heal up quickly enough…" he whipped out a tissue. "Might want to clean that up, though."

Hiromi didn't hear him. Eyes brightening, she asked, "Riku? Sora and Kairi's friend Riku?"

He paused, a little confused. "Um… Sure… Do I know you?"

She shook her head. "You three appeared in my dreams after the storm three years ago," she replied calmly, as if she was discussing the weather last Tuesday.

Riku's expression darkened, but all he said was, "I have to go." And he did. Hiromi glanced at the food tray: a roasted fish on a stick with mashed potatoes and sautéed mushrooms, with baby carrots and a strange yellow juice in a small glass. _Delicious scent found! _The plate was clean within five minutes. Not even the fish bones remained.


	5. Chapter 3 - DI

**~*Chapter 3~**

"How can she know?" Riku was pacing in Sora's room, eyes darting to various objects strewn on the floor and shelves, trying to avoid looking over at the bed where Sora and Kairi had somehow turned into a pretzel. "No one else had memories of the storm except us." He stopped walking to stare at them, despite his previous goal. "So what does that leave us?"

Sora finally broke free and began to ponder. He alternately kicked his legs out as he thought, his heels thumping against the floorboards rhythmically. After a few seconds he replied, "Maybe they're leaked from someone else who was involved."

"But weren't we the only ones there?" Riku rubbed his eyes, frustrated. "If we all remember it clearly, it couldn't be leaked from any of us."

"There was someone else." Kairi said. "That's the only other explanation. All that's left to ask is who gave them to her."

"You said she knew all of our names?" Sora asked.

Riku nodded. "Like she was right there the very first day." _Sounds like Naminé's work,_ he reasoned, _But she's back with Kairi, so where does _that_ leave us?_

"I wonder if there's any connection with her and people we met along the way." Kairi interrupted his thoughts. "We should question her, at least, and find out why she's here."

"Well, you can count me out," Riku replied, "She just made me want to avoid her even more with that little thing she pulled."

"Sure, I'll talk to her over at your place," Sora told him. "You and Kairi hang for a bit; I'll be back before you can say 'buttered toast'."

"Buttered toast," came Kairi's hasty response.

"Alright, maybe not that fast…" he smiled fondly and ruffled her hair before running out of the room.

A small pause, and Riku shifted awkwardly before saying, "So uh… how's it been?"

Kairi shrugged. "Oh, you know… This and that…"

"… Cool." He intertwined his fingers and twiddled his thumbs with the continuation of awkward pause, leaning against the wall with his legs crossed. "…Yep…"

In the meantime, Hiromi had wanted to thank Riku for her meal, as he had left rather suddenly. Opening the door to her room, she stepped out into a short hallway. There was light at one end of it, so she headed in that direction, hoping it was either the way outside or an inhabitant.

Discovering the former, she pushed the door open to a tropical island town. The words "Destiny Islands" in chunky bubble letters floated into her view, along with a random cartoon palm tree and a sunset over the caricature of an island before fading away. _Where did _that_ come from…?_ She shrugged it off and made her way down a gravel path, which led to a larger clump of houses, possibly a town center or something similar. Something caught her eye as she was heading toward them, running into a clump of bushes. Momentarily distracted, she approached them. The leaves of the closest bush rustled loudly before something struck the side of her head, and she swiftly spiraled into a sea of stars.

The pain that welcomed her when she came to made her want to sink back into unconsciousness. It felt like her skull was about to explode, and there was likely a massive egg where she was hit. She tried to touch it, but found her hands were tied behind her back. She was lying on her side, face against the dirty floor of a small shack, apparently abandoned if the sunlight shining through cracks in the walls were any indication. They lit the area enough to show there was someone else with her.

A small form was crouched near the lopsided door, busying itself with something, evident by clicking and scratching noises coming from its direction. After a few more seconds, it turned its head toward her. But something was wrong. The left side of its body was semi-transparent, and crackled with static, like an old television.

"Ah, you're awake," It growled. Standing to its full height of five feet, Hiromi could see that it was a girl, probably an age between thirteen and fifteen. But she had animal-like features, the most prominent being the pointed ears atop her head, and the long, fluffy tail trailing behind her. Her hair was a little longer than shoulder length, with short bangs cutting across her face. The left side floated weightlessly, and the clothing she wore on the same side drifted in and out of its field, as if it was barely being held there at all. She had no left eye, and what remained of her mouth on that side was like a jagged beak. It was as if that half of her was never supposed to exist at all, the other side desperately trying to compensate for its lack of completeness. In her right hand was Hiromi's pendant, the thick string it hung by dangling freely. Shoving the amber triangle in the prone girl's face, she hissed, "How does it work?"

This was a question that took her by surprise. "What do you mean, 'how does it work'?" she asked, confused. "It's a necklace. My friend gave it to me—"

The half-being cut her off with a harsh cackle. "You have no idea, do you?" She threw it at Hiromi's feet and glared savagely at her, her misshapen face inches from hers. "I'll tell you right now that it's more than just a trinket."

If she was going to say any more, she was cut off by the door slamming open. A boy about the creature's height barged in loudly, and it took her a moment to stop staring in shock. Once Sora had his sight on her, she let out a shrill cry and vanished into a portal of tattered smoke, leaving him and Hiromi alone.

"There you are…" the boy said, grinning. "You weren't in the house anymore, so I got kinda worried." He pointed his Keyblade at Hiromi's bindings, and they vanished in a beam of light. "I heard some noise coming from over here, so figured I'd go check it out."

She hastily grabbed her necklace and began rubbing the feeling back into her limbs. "Thanks, Sora—Eep." She quickly covered her mouth with her hands. "I'm sorry, I made Riku run away when I recognized him and I don't want you to—"

"It's okay, he told me already." Sora smiled reassuringly. "That's kinda why I came back. To check on you and to ask how you know about us."

"I wish I could tell you, but I'm just as clueless as you are." She reached up to scratch her head, but she forgot about her injury, causing her to wince when she touched it.

"That's okay; we can figure it out together. Come with me." Before he turned back out the door, he tossed her a jar with green liquid suspending a colloidal star inside. "Be sure to drink all of it for full effect."

Hiromi wasn't ready for it and juggled it around trying to get a decent handhold before catching it… upside down. Thankfully the stopper was still secure. "Alright… Thanks…" She hoisted herself up, uncorked it, and downed it in one gulp. She wasn't expecting the star to be so solid and choked a little, though it didn't taste unpleasant. Immediately, the bump dissolved and the pain was nearly imperceptible, though her head still ached a bit. She quickly followed Sora out into the sunlight that glared harshly into eyes so used to the darkness of the shack. Realizing while she knew everyone's name already but they didn't know hers, she stuck out her hand in greeting. "I'm Hiromi. Nice to finally make your acquaintance, Sora."

Sora's surprise that she knew who he was had no effect on his impression of her, it seemed, unlike Riku. "Likewise." He took her hand and shook it, smiling.


	6. Chapter 4 - DI

**~*Chapter 4~**

When Hiromi finally got to meet Kairi (Sora brought her to his house afterward), she was friendly enough, despite the fact that the introductions were one-sided. Riku kept to the other side of the room while she was there, she noticed, probably from what happened earlier that morning. It made her wonder if there was a way to lessen the apparent hostility that had developed.

"So, what drove you to sail here?" Sora hastily asked, seeming to sense the same thing and trying to start some conversation.

"The raft," she replied, making Kairi splutter at the unexpected witty response. Even Riku snickered a little before he caught himself. Trying to save face, he cleared his throat a little and covered his mouth. "But in all seriousness, it's to prove my sanity." (Inside Riku's head, he was screaming to his friends, "See? I _KNEW_ she was crazy!") Hiromi grabbed her necklace where it was attached to the pendant. "My best friend gave this to me. But three years ago she went missing from everyone's memory except mine. I think it's the necklace, or something related to it, that saved me from forgetting her completely, in all honesty. But because of that, everyone thinks I'm making her up. So I'm looking for her to show I'm not."

"You just built a raft and set sail in a random direction, hoping to find a single specific person?" Kairi asked, astonished.

Hiromi nodded. "Even though you three taught me the world's so much bigger than most people are aware, it drove me to search even harder." She grinned at Sora. "You may know what I mean."

Sora returned the grin to her, and then glanced at Riku. "Yep."

Riku looked away and grunted but didn't say anything, though Hiromi thought she saw the hint of a smile in the corners of his lips before he put his defenses back up.

"So, where you headed after here?"

"I don't know. I can probably go in any cardinal direction and be moving away from her." She dropped her elbows onto her knees and hung her head. "It'd be so much easier if I had a way to go places quickly…"

"Say no more," Sora stopped her, holding out his hand for emphasis. "I have just the thing."

A sudden crash outside the house halted any more conversation as they all crowded around the window to see what had happened. Through the smoke and upturned earth on the yard, a brightly colored object was poking out of the ground.

Sora looked dumbfounded. "Er, not what I was going for, but that works too." Peeling himself from the window, he beckoned for the others to follow him. "Looks like we just got ourselves a ride!"

"Flood!" A voice quacked from the gummi ship wreckage. Water from underground suddenly fountained up, and the flames were soon subdued. Structurally it was still fine, but it was apparently highly combustible.

"That's the _last_ time I let you drive!" Donald grumbled as he stepped out from the now-soaked ship. He quickly shivered himself dry, and waited for Goofy to follow. The knight had his head lowered shamefully.

"But I tried askin' ya how to land but you just ignored me." He glanced at Donald, eyes big and welling up with tears.

That was enough. Donald's mean demeanor melted and he sighed. "Aww, I'm sorry, you're right."

"Hey, guys!" Sora called as he and the others finally arrived at the scene. "Boy, am I glad you showed up, see, we need the ship to—"

"It better be to save the worlds again, because we're gonna need all the help we can get." Donald said coolly, a slight scowl returning to his face. "We're taking you all to the king for your debrief." Sora snickered, and the duck rolled his eyes. "Oh, grow up!"

"But—" Sora started protesting.

Goofy was being strangely quiet, until now. "As much as I'da liked to come on more laidback conditions to see ya again, I'm afraid Donald's right. We don't have much time to explain, so it's best if ya just come with us."

Sora glanced back at Hiromi, an odd expression on his face. After a small pause, he continued his objection. "But I can't just leave her hanging. We just met and were gonna help her find someone." He reluctantly took a step back from the ship. "If she's not going, then I'm not."

"No." Hiromi spoke quietly but firmly. "Your duty for the worlds is more important than aiding one person on a personal journey. Go with them. I'm fine."

Goofy looked at Donald again, then at the girl. She returned the glance and smiled, recognition in her eyes. He noticed it, and though he should have felt fear, she didn't seem to have the disposition of someone working for the darkness. No, more like she had a small, nearly-hidden flame within her. Whether that flame would expand and warm other people's hearts, or become out of control and burn their hearts raw, he didn't know. All he knew at that moment was… "Ya gotta come with us."

"What?!" Five pairs of eyes swiveled to him.

"Just trust me," he stood tall and spoke with determination. "I got a feelin'. Maybe you'll even find your friend if ya come with us."

Hiromi circled her toe in the dirt thoughtfully. True, the chances of running into Ailie were probably about the same, and if she went with all of them, she wouldn't be in danger of nearly dying again… She flushed with embarrassment. She had always been a tomboy, and outdoor survival should have been on the top of her list of skills. Though to be fair, she didn't realize the ocean was that… big… Meh, what the hell. Finally raising her head, she replied with a slight smile, "If you'll take me, I'll try my best to be helpful."


End file.
